Long Distance Walking

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GregP Jun 2019 7:40am, 8 Jun 2019 112,687 posts	0 GregP This is really better suited to the O50 thread but I’ll put it here for tidiness’ sake... At the end of three days’ walking With the good folk of HF. There were about 25 of us in total, more than three quarters of whom used poles. I’ve regressed from pole-curious to pols-skeptical. They seemed a liability, particularly in narrow tracks through heather - and on the North Yorkshire moors there’s a lot of those.
Derby Tup Jun 2019 7:47am, 8 Jun 2019 31,977 posts	0 Derby Tup Useful for descending steep hills. I find them a faff especially when negotiating gates and stiles if carrying a map or guidebook
DocMoye Jun 2019 7:49am, 8 Jun 2019 28,548 posts	0 DocMoye I bought poles once as I have a massive issue with heights. They didn't help. For me something additional to trip over/carry etc. This year's big walks are 26 mile Herts hobble and a a 60 miler Suffolk coast path ( over two days) to celebrate brothers 60th birthday.
halfpint Jun 2019 7:53am, 8 Jun 2019 28,160 posts	0 halfpint I carried poles on my bag for 96 miles when we did WHW. QP thought we should have some just in case but neither of us used them.
HellsBells Jun 2019 7:56am, 8 Jun 2019 25,436 posts	0 HellsBells we used poles on our C2C walk - I was massively sceptical about them, but we had one each rather than 2 and I loved them
Dave A Jun 2019 8:03am, 8 Jun 2019 22,176 posts	0 Dave A The only time I ever used them was when I was support crewing my sister and brother and brother in law doing the Oxfam Trailtrekker. I walked out the last couple of miles from the finish to see them and picked up their poles for them and decided to use them. It was surprising how easy it made walking. I’ve not bothered with them since.
Badger Jun 2019 8:04am, 8 Jun 2019 10,890 posts	0 Badger I’ve used poles in the past, generally feel one is enough, and am moving away from using them at all these days. If I really need a third point of support, a hand grip on something is likely to be more secure than the pole. Mind you I’ve also been known to walk with a long wooden stick my father gave me, just because it’s such a lovely piece of wood, so I am sceptical of my own opinions here.
Velociraptor Jun 2019 8:14am, 8 Jun 2019 41,913 posts	0 Velociraptor I take the "trip hazard" view and am still waiting for a plausible explanation of how using poles can simultaneously burn 20% more calories per unit of time/distance/whatever and be "more efficient".
Rosehip Jun 2019 9:34am, 8 Jun 2019 12,716 posts	0 Rosehip I learned to "Nordic walk" on the flat with poles and found I could walk faster - but it feels unnatural and as soon as the ground gets rough or undulating they became a trip hazard. I have a proper wooden walking stick - acquired when an excess 3 stones were making my grumbly knee play up and any sort of walking was painful - thankfully it now lives on a coat hook in the hall with said poles.
Runningfoxx Jun 2019 9:40am, 8 Jun 2019 70 posts	0 Runningfoxx I usually took one on Coast to Coast walks across Scotland but mostly it was strapped to my sack and mainly used as a third leg on river crossings.